Mt Saint Helens
Last week we took 6th graders to Camp Cispus. I wrote about an unexpected change of plans where one of our 6th graders noticed that the road we normally take to Windy Ridge and Spirit Lake to see Mt Saint Helens was closed.
Luckily, the Johnston Ridge Observatory, facing the horse shoe shaped crater and the growing lava dome, is open this time of year. I called and was able to go online and reserve a spot for our 6th graders last Wednesday and Thursday. And it was free! Yes, school kids get in for free and one adult for every five kids also gets in free so we didn’t have to pay a thing!
The downside of our Plan B was that it takes almost three hours to get to the Johnston Ridge Observatory from Camp Cispus instead of the one hour it takes to get to Windy Ridge (also longer than the hour and 47 minutes Google Maps said it would take). Luckily, it was worth it. I did get the clear weather I had hoped for but as you can see in the photo, the mountain was not clear. What was that haze? It was smoke from nearby wildfires! Ugh! We get all the way there, we get a direct view of the lava dome, and the view is obstructed!
Here are some photos I took from the observatory:
Views from Johnston Ridge Observatory
So although it surely could have been better it was a good trip. Besides, there was nothing for those kids to do back at camp so better to go to Johnston Ridge than staying around camp getting bored and in the way. The rest of camp was great. The sunny, clear weather made our experience that much better. I was able to take three groups of about eight into the challenge course and they did so well that it was a wonderful experience. Overall, another great year at camp!
